A handful of my people made the trip from Norway to Scotland in about 900AD, then, eventually,  to Ireland. My other people come from India and Indonesia, and according to a cousin of mine, half of that lineage can be traced to the Mongols under Genghis Khan. Apparently, this explains a few things about us, but I haven’t done the DNA test to prove it.

A sense of everyday complexity drew me to story and led me into newsrooms and other strange locales. Career highlights include: a road trip with one of my favourite cousins (I have many favourite cousins) to visit a former cult and interview its remaining members; falling asleep to the underwater whale sounds in the Pacific Northwest; navigating the treacherous passions of small-town politics as the local newspaper editor; laughing myself to tears with my favourite writing buddy and co-conspirator Tina O, and… I could go on and on. It’s been a gorgeous ride and I have no intention of getting off.